1 I have frequently used these needles, and always with complete success.* I also presented to the academy a needle for aneurism. It differs from the first only in the form of the point, which is blunt, thin and rounded, so that it may penetrate the cellular substance with facility, while it cannot wound the nervous cords, nor cut the collateral branches of the arteries which are to be tied. The opening for the reception of the ligature is formed in the same manner as that of the needle for suture. The needle for ligature is made flexible, in order to pass without difficulty in the indirect course it sometimes has to pursue. General Custine began his march at the end of November, 1792, with a portion of the army, for the purpose of penetrating into Franconia, in order to meet the Prussians on their route to Coblentz. The senate of Frankfort delivered the keys to the general as soon as he appeared before the town. He left a garrison there, and continued his march. Hanneau followed the example of Frankfort, and we experienced no further obstacle until we arrived at Limbourg. Friedburg, Usingen, and Weilburg lying in our route, surrendered at discretion. Koenigstein, a fortress placed in a defile of the mountains on the right bank of the Rhine, surrendered, after a few days' resistance; and we left a garrison there under the command of captain Meunier. At Limbourg, our advanced guard had a brisk engagement with that of the king of Prussia. The remoteness of our ambulances deprived the wounded of the requisite attention. The superior numbers of the enemy obliged Houchard to effect his retreat by night, although he had gained the field of battle. On the other hand, the commander in chief having received intelligence of the sud * See the plate of instruments. den march of a strong column which advanced on the left, prevented this movement by taking an advantageous position between Hoechst and Frankfort. We found it impossible to bring off our wounded, who fell into the power of the enemy. This misfortune induced me to propose to the general, and to the commissary-general, who felt great solicitude for these unfortunate men, the plan of an ambulance, calculated to follow the advanced guard in the same manner as the flying-artillery. My proposition was accepted, and I was authorized to construct a carriage, which I called the flying-ambulance. I at first thought of having the wounded conveyed on horses, furnished with paniers; but experience soon convinced me of the insufficiency of this plan. I next thought of a carriage, so suspended, as to unite swiftness to solidity and ease. I shall give a description of this ambulance in my campaign in Italy, in the year 1797. in Having completed this new ambulance, I repaired with it, by order of general Custine, to the advanced guard of Houchard, upon the mountains of Oberuchel, near Koenigstein. They were covered with snow.— Houchard wished to check a column of the enemy this defile through which they intended to pass. Notwithstanding the rigour of the season, and the difficulty of obtaining provisions, this advanced guard, composed of the first volunteers that Paris had furnished, were resolved to subdue the Austrians, or meet the fate of the Lacedemonians at the straits of Thermopyla: but the enemy, informed by a deserter of our position, and conducted by some of the inhabitants of the country, surrounded the impregnable post which we occupied, with thrice as numerous as ours. Houchard extricated us from this perilous situation by a manœuvre as dexterous as it was unforeseen. He attacked a weak point of the enemy's force, and gained a spot which favoured an army his retreat. We had a number killed, and thirty wounded; the latter we carried with us, after having dressed them for the first time on the field of battle. This precipitate retreat was rendered particularly severe by a fall of sleet, which continued three or four hours without intermission. We were obliged to halt, as it was impossible to march, and suffered much from cold and hunger: we passed half a day in this position, but afterwards reached a village where we met with some relief, and soon rejoined the main army. The unexpected surrender of Frankfort, where the garrison had been put to the sword, and the superior force of the enemy, obliged us to fall back on Mentz.Captain Meunier (now general of division), however, retained the fort of Koenigstein, which he defended for six months. Our advanced guard halted on the heights of Cassel, whose fortifications were yet unfinished. We hastened the work, and were soon obliged to entrench ourselves here. We had many sanguinary contests;among others, that of the 6th January, 1793, when we had new opportunities of appreciating the services of my flying ambulance. Threatened on all sides by the united armies of the Prussians and Austrians, general Custine made preparations for the defence of Mentz, left a garrison there, and marched with the remainder of the troops for the duchy of Deux Ponts, shaping his course towards Baccarach, where a strong body of the enemy had crossed the Rhine. I received orders to attend with my flying ambulance. After two days' march, we came up with the enemy, who had possessed himself of the forts and defiles of the mountains of Kreutznach and Stromberg. Custine dispossessed them of these forts and strong positions at the point of the bayonet. The superiority of the enemy in CAMPAIGN IN CORSICA, THE MARITIME ALPS, AND CATALONIA 2222222 THE organization of a fourth army, which was destined to Corsica, left me no time for the execution of the project, which I had conceived of improving my ambulance. Immediately on my arrival at Paris, I received a brevet commission as chief surgeon of the army of Corsica, with orders to repair immediately to Toulon, whence I was to embark for the place of my destination. During my short stay in the metropolis, I fulfilled my former vows, and was united to Miss Charlotte Elizabeth, daughter of M. Laville Leroux, minister of finance, under Louis XVI. I then departed for Toulon, not without regretting the loss of my situation in the army of the Rhine, which I had hoped to resume. I was desirous of passing through Toulouse; and I performed this journey with one of my pupils, in the month of April, 1794. We pursued the course of the canal of Languedoc, as far as Besieres: thence we went to Montpellier. I was detained in that town by many strong motives, especially by my desire of visiting its illustrious university, and paying my respects to its professors. Never shall I forget the flattering reception given me by these distinguished men of learning. The monument, erected in the botanical garden, to the memory of the daughter of the philosopher YOUNG, was an object highly gratifying to my curiosity. From Montpellier we directed our course to Nimes, where the traveller still admires some monuments of Roman architecture; among others, an-amphitheatre, in a good state of preservation. We passed the Rhone, at Beaucaire, a place celebrated for its annual fairs, and soon arrived at Aix, a town distinguished by the severity of its ancient parlia ment. Here are fine springs of mineral waters, warm and cold, and some beautiful monuments, and magnificent gardens. Here commence the variegated landscapes of Provence, fertile in olives and vines. We arrived at Marseilles, after crossing a chain of well-cultivated hills. My stay here was very short, as I knew the necessity of repairing speedily to Toulon. The road to Toulon is cut through a chain of elevated barren mountains; and from its topographical situation, and the country which surrounds it, has much resemblance to Marseilles. The dock, or ship-yard, the arsenal, and the magazines, are masterpieces of art. On my arrival in this town, I presented myself to the officers of the army, among the number of whom, was general Bonaparte, commander of the artillery. I entered immediately on duty, and embarked every thing which I might need for the dressing of wounds, either on the passage, or in the island of Corsica. The squadron, which was now ready to sail, was to take in land forces at Nice, the place of our departure. Consequently I received orders to repair thither. Previous to my departure from Toulon, I had been requested by M. Heurtelop, inspector of the hospitals, to aid him in the performance of his duty in our army, and that which then occupied the Maritime Alps, whose head-quarters were at Nice. We repaired to Nice. After having examined, in his presence, the young surgeons of the army and military hospitals, I was charged with the direction of the surgical staff of the grand hospital for the wounded. I ought in justice to remark, that in this |